CINQUE TERRE — Overview

The Cinque Terre are the five villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore that stretch along the coastline of Northern Italy for 18km between Levanto and La Spezia. It is a very special place and in 1997 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national park which includes a protected marine area. Cars and motorbikes aren’t allowed in the villages but they are connected by trains that take around five minutes to get to each village. Electric buses are used in the villages themselves and you can walk along the pathways that connect the villages.

Getting There
The easiest way to arrive from other parts of Italy is by train. The main station that you will arrive in is La Spezia and from here you can get the local train that connects the villages.
For information about the trains visit the website at: http://www.trenitalia.com

If you are coming to the Cinque Terre by car you will need to pay to park in designated car parks as cars aren’t allowed in the villages. From the car park you will either have to walk or sometimes there are shuttle buses to some of the villages.

✈ Traveller's Tip ✈

You need to buy a ‘Cinque Terre Card’ if you wish to use any of the hiking tracks in the area. There are several types of cards available for different amounts of days that offer extras including train travel within the area and entrance to museums and so on.
For more information about the ‘Cinque Terre Card’ visit the National Park website at http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/news_parco_primo_piano.asp?id_lingue=2